Where Would I Be Without You?
by mhud07
Summary: A NaruHina fic. What if, instead of Sakura, Tsunade had trained Hinata as her apprentice? What if Naruto was being hunted by yet another organization?
1. A D rank!

Where Would I Be Without You?-by mhud07

Rating: 15 for Violence and Gore

Summary: A NaruHina fic. What if, instead of Sakura, Tsunade had trained Hinata as her apprentice? What if Naruto was being hunted by yet another organization? When Hinata suddenly decides to become bold and confess her feelings to Naruto…could it be the biggest mistake of her life?

Warning: This will contain gore. Lots and lots of gore…. : D

This is the first fic I have ever written in the history of my lifetime ever. Not sure how long the story will go but I intend to make it at least a good 15-20 chaps, maybe more.

There is NaruHina. I don't know what other pairings may be incorporated into this fic just yet.

A lot of times the characters may seem OOC, if this upsets you I apologize, blame my imagination. I will try to fix all unplanned OOCness in my edits.

One last little thing P. Naruto's crush for Sakura doesn't exist in this fic. He's over it and they are just friends

Please R&R and enjoy! —mhud07

Naruto left the Hokage Tower grumbling to himself. "Stupid Baa-chan. Who the hell does she think she is? Giving us a D-rank mission. Tch!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled from down the street. "Come over here! What's up with you?" she said as Naruto ran over to her. "Baa-chan gave us a D-rank! A D-rank!" he said in frustration and disappointment.

Sakura laughed. "What's so funny?!" Naruto said. "Well? What'd you expect baka? We're the only two left, all the other gennin teams are on missions. We would've been able to go with Kakashi-sensei, but he is off with Jiraiya-sama tracking Orochi-teme and Sasuke. You know anything higher than D requires a 3-man team."

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Sasuke? No -kun?" he said. Sakura just looked at him. "Well…now that he's gone, I think I've realized he was just a crush." she said with a nervous look at the ground. She was still affected when his name came up, and for some reason she was mad at herself.

"_Give him up!_" she said to herself. "_He's never coming back, so stop hoping._"

"Neh, Sakura-chan?" Naruto said, waving a hand in front of her face. "Oh! Sorry! I was just thinking." Naruto figured he knew what she was thinking about, but he let it drop. "Kay, lets go walk these stupid dogs and get paid." He said.

"The dogs again? This should be fun." Sakura said with a smirk. "Whatever" Naruto said in return.

They had picked their dogs. This time however, Naruto showed he had learned his lesson from last time and had picked a smaller dog. This managed to amuse Sakura even more, yet she was also impressed. "Finally picked a dog that wasn't twice your size eh?" she said. Naruto just kept walking, bored out of his mind already.

"Well, now that that's over with, I'm going to go find Tenten. She said she wanted to go shopping." Sakura said. "Okay. See you later Sakura-chan!" Naruto said, waving as Sakura ran off. "Ja!" she yelled behind her.

He hadn't expected his legs to bring him here. He was just letting them walk wherever. Now that he stood in front of the Hyuuga compound however, he had no idea what had brought him here. He couldn't move, couldn't look away, it was too huge.

Just then, he heard a small sound, barely audible, but he instantly knew it was a gasp of surprise. He freaked. His head looked around wildly trying at the same time to explain to whoever had caught him why he was staring. "Gah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to stare at it! I'll leave now!" Suddenly he noticed Hyuuga Hinata standing in the middle of the gateway.

"N-N-Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked. A torrent of sweat was escaping her body and she was red as a tomato. "Hey Hinata." Naruto said, relieved. "Hey, you okay Hinata?" he asked, seeing her face. All of a sudden, Hinata fainted. Fell flat on her back on the cobblestone path. This time, when Naruto freaked, it was even worse.

"OI! Hinata! What the hell?" He ran over and picked her up. Then, in a complete show of idiocy, started shaking her. "Hinata! Hinata wake up!" Hinata slowly opened her eyes. The sunlight blinded her.

"What's going on?" she asked. "You fainted. Are you okay Hinata?" Naruto said. At the sound of Naruto's voice, her eyes shot wide open. "Naruto-kun!" she squeaked, shooting straight up and out of his arms onto her feet.

"Hinata? What is it? Did I do something wrong?" he asked. "G-Gomen. I was j-just surprised, that's all. "Oh. Okay." Naruto replied. Suddenly, Jiraiya appeared in a puff of smoke beside Naruto. Naruto jumped halfway to Sunagakure. "AHH! ERO-SENNIN! DON'T DO THAT!" Naruto screamed. Jiraiya ignored him. "Naruto, come, we have to talk.

Well, that's all for chapter one. I know it may seem short, but I broke 800 words, and I think that is a pretty decent length for the first chapter of my first fic.

I snuck a little cliffhanger in there. Lol. I don't know how much you guys will care, as I don't know if you liked it. We shall see.

R&R!

mhud07


	2. The Battle

Where Would I Be Without You? -mhud07

Hey guys, I know that last chapter was TERRIBLY short. It looked a lot longer on my computer. Lol. Anyway, I'll push for 1200 words this chap.

Also, there is an OC in this chapter, though she will be killed off here too, as I only want to use her in the coming fight. Also, its pretty gory at the end of the fight.

R&R and enjoy!

"Talk? About what?" Naruto asked in confusion. He had rarely seen Jiraiya this serious.

"I'll tell you when we get to the Hokage Tower." He then summoned a decent sized frog. "WOW! How did you do that?" Naruto was stunned at the appearance of this frog.

"Get on." Naruto jumped on with a smile and a wave in Hinata's general direction. She wouldn't see it though, as she was once again flat on her back in front of the gates of the Hyuuga compound.

"So, what's up?" Naruto asked Tsunade, they had just arrived at the Hokage Tower.

"Naruto, Akatsuki has kidnapped four Konoha nin, and we believe they are holding them somewhere in Amegakure.

"NANI?" Naruto screamed, "Who? WHO?" "We have determined that the four nin in captivity are Akimichi Chouji, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba, and his partner Akamaru."

"What? Couldn't Chouji or Neji escape by using jutsu?" Naruto asked. "And I just saw Hinata a few minutes ago. Does she not know what's happened?"

"No, none of the gennin know. You were the first gennin to be told. As for your other question, we don't know ourselves, that seems to be a question that will be answered upon arrival."

Naruto stood up. "So what do we do?" Tsunade looked at him, fingers interlaced as usual. "You will make only a 4 man team, plus Jiraiya, as intel states that only 2 members of Akatsuki are present at the Ame base. We believe this means their base location is changing.

"Okay! I'll get right on it!" Naruto said, heading for the door. "Naruto!" Tsunade said. "YOU are not making your own team. Your team has already been told to come to the Tower."

Just then, Shikamaru poked his head through the door. "Tsunade-sama, the three gennin you requested have arrived." "Send them in." she replied.

The door opened wider and in walked Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, and Hyuuga Hinata. "Have a seat." Tsunade said. "I'll get straight to the point."

"Akimichi Chouji, Hyuuga Neji, Inuzuka Kiba and Akamaru have been taken by Akatsuki. You 4 and Jiraiya will go to Ame to bring them back."

Hinata gasped "Neji-nii-san, and Kiba-kun and Akamaru-kun?" Sakura just stood there, shocked. Shino showed no emotion.

In Ame country, one Akatsuki was laughing wildly. "What are you laughing at Ryoku?" Sasori said. "I just can't wait till they get here." She replied, "It will be fun."

Sasori looked at the newest member of Akatsuki in disgust. "Do not underestimate them, one of the Sannin is with them, as well as a Jinchuuriki."

"So what?" she asked. "I'm Akatsuki. I can handle anything!"

"Whatever." Sasori said, and left the base to join the others. He knew that he was going against orders, but he also knew that nobody cared for the weak brat anyway. "Her becoming an S-class nin must have been a fluke, she will die today."

Ryoku looked at the four prisoners in the corner. "Good thing Sasori-kun gave them chakra suppressors, they won't interfere." She knew she wouldn't be able to sit in that cave till they got there, so she decided to go meet up with them in the forest. She left in the direction of Konohagakure.

She would not get far though. After a few hundred feet of traveling she spotted the group on the horizon. "How did they get here so fast?" she wondered. She decided to head back to the base, just to be safe.

She was to make a mistake, however. Realizing that the Kyuubi was right on her tail, she made the incredibly idiotic mistake of not placing the boulder back in the entryway.

So it was that when they got there the entire team ran straight through the doorway and stopped in front of Ryoku.

She wasted no time. "Katon: Housenka no jutsu!" Fireballs rapidly erupted from her mouth, at a rate of about four per second.

"Shimate! Move!" Jiraiya yelled. He jumped in front of them. "Suiton: Suiryuudan!" The water dragon rose up, and coiled its body tight around the group, acting like a circling wall of water.

Ryoku ceased her barrage, and the dragon technique was released. "Very impressive." She said. "I suppose you would be Jiraiya, of the sannin. No matter."

Jiraiya looked at the girl of no more than 20 in front of him. "How did you manage to fire off those blasts at that rate?" he asked.

"I have mastered the Katon." She said. "Nobody is better." A look of realization came across Jiraiya's face. "_That means it's the only element she can use. You can only completely master one element!_"

"Let's go!" Naruto said, and they rushed forward. "Split!" Jiraiya yelled. They ran off in different directions. Just then, Naruto got an idea. He put his hands into his favorite seal. "Kage Bunshin no jutsu!"

Nine other Naruto clones appeared. All of the clones headed off towards Ryoku. Naruto, however, went into a corner behind a nearby statue and waited.

Ryoku now looked at the group of 12 coming at her, and settled into a defensive stance. Sakura reached her first, aiming a swift kick at Ryoku's head. Ryoku ducked the kick and then grabbed the oncoming backhand.

Ryoku used the momentum of Sakura's body and threw her across the cave. Two of Naruto's clones instantly raced after her in an attempt to catch her. Meanwhile, four clones jumped at Ryoku. She dropped to the ground and came up on her hands, legs spread in a helicopter spin, long black hair spinning with her.

The clones disappeared in a puff of smoke. She came up and punched another clone. Now Hinata had reached her. "Byakugan!" she said. She came at Ryoku as fast as she could. Throwing fierce chakra filled strikes. Ryoku just weaved in and out of them. "_There's no way I can hit her, she's too fast!_" Hinata thought as her punches began to slow.

All of a sudden, Ryoku dodged a punch and went straight down and did a backflip, bringing the toe of her right boot straight up. It hit Hinata just under the chin. There was a sickening crack as Hinata's jaw shattered. "Hinata!" the remaining clones shouted, catching her as she flew backwards, and disappearing. Naruto, still in the corner, watched as his friends were hurt, and he was getting madder and madder. Soon enough, his eyes were turning red.

"_What is that baka Ero-sennin doing just sitting there? Fight!_" he thought. Jiraiya had been sitting throughout the fight, meditating, preparing his chakra. It was at this moment he chose to stand up. "Air Bullet!" he yelled, and a pure mass of chakra infused air shot at Ryoku.

But the bullet would miss, only grazing Ryoku. The force sent her into an involuntary spin and she found herself unable to stop. "Now!" Jiraiya yelled. Naruto made a clone and they leapt out of the corner, heading for the spinning Ryoku. The clone made the familiar swirling ball of chakra in Naruto's outstretched hand and disappeared. Naruto leapt forward.

"Rasengan!"

Cliffhanger! Lol. Wow 1300 words. W00t!

Also, I loved your reviews last chapter. Thanks so much!

Note: The reason there were only a few jutsu's this chap, is because I don't know them hardly, those are really the only ones I know off the top of my head. If anyone knows a link to a list or something, I would appreciate it!

-mhud07


	3. Training

Where Would I Be Without You-mhud07

Chapter 3:Rush to Konoha

Hello all. I know this is the third chapter in less than a week, but seriously, after this it's a chapter a week. Chapter 4 will be up next Sunday.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any characters associated to the Naruto anime. They belong to Mr. Kishimoto-san.

I kept forgetting to add that lol. R&R

"Rasengan!"

The swirling ball of chakra hit Ryoku in the small of her back. He had expected her to go flying, like everyone else had done. Instead she only skid a few feet and stopped, still standing up, with a gaping hole in her back.

"Is she dead?" Naruto asked. "No. she is paralyzed, she can't move. Leave her." Jiraiya said as he summoned a frog. "Naruuto, put those four on him." He said pointing to the frog. Sakura is unconscious, I'll carry her. You carry Hinata. Go as fast as possible, Hinata's jaw needs to be tended to soon."

"Hai." Naruto and Jiraiya picked up the girls, Naruto asking the Kyuubi to lend him chakra so he could get home fast. He was given it.

They shot off. Amazingly Jiraiya and his frog were able to keep pace with Naruto. A day later Hinata was healed and just waking up from sleep.

"Ouch." Was all she could get out. She was terribly sore. She then was a bit startled by a loud crash. She was startled even more when she was finally able to turn her head and see what had caused it.

Laying on the floor was Uzumaki Naruto, who had apparently flipped his chair over in surprise. "Naruto-kun?" she was very shocked to see him in her hospital room, and she could already feel the blush rising to her cheeks.

"Neh, Hinata-chan, I'll go tell Baa-chan your awake." He said. Hinata gasped at the suffix added to her name and started to blush even more. Naruto had also stopped briefly for a moment. "_It just flew out of my mouth. Why?_" he thought. He didn't wait to hear Hinata's response, and left the room.

"Did Naruto-kun say what I think he said?" Hinata whispered to herself. "What would that be?" Tsunade asked. Hinata jumped a tiny bit at her voice. "H-he used –chan in my n-n-name." She said embarrassed.

Tsunade then let a feral grin run across her face. "Oh?" she said. "Perhaps Konoha's number one loudmouth ninja has found love?" she asked as her eyebrowws went up and down.

There are no words that could describe the shade of red Hinata was at this moment. "Tsunade-sama, d-don't s-s-say things like that!" she pleaded. "Look Hinata, you don't understand how freaked out Naruto was when he got here." Tsunade said.

"What do you mean?" Hinata asked. "He didn't even mention Sakura, he was only worried about YOU." She said, pointing a finger at her. Hinata was shocked. "Me?" she sueaked. Tsunade nodded. "Mhm." "Your clear to leave the hospital if you want. I'll let you in on a secret. Jiraiya is going to take Naruto out of the village for three years. I think you should give it a try and tell him your feelings before he leaves."

Hinata had tears in her eyes. "Three years? Why?" Tsunade looked at her. "You know Naruto has the Kyuubi. Akatsuki is after that. Naruto isn't strong enough to face Akatsuki as he is right now." Hinata swallowed. "Okay, I'll give it a try." She said, determination in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Uchiha Itachi appeared in the old Akatsuki base. He looked at Ryoku. "We knew you were no match for them." He said. He walked up to her and looked her in the face. "I'm surprised they didn't kill you though. No matter. Your life ends now." He jumped behind her and distanced himself a little. He made the familiar hand signs. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu." He whispered. The fireball completely engulfed Ryoku, the pain completely disabled her paralysis, and her mouth burst open.

As her blood turned black to match the burns on her skin. She screamed, and screamed, and screamed, yet her mastery of the Katon allowed her to hang on to a shred of life. Itachi's face showed a bit of annoyance. "It seems your greatest weakness in battle has delayed the inevitable. I'll do it myself then." He said. He took out an exploding tag and attached it to her head.

He left the base. As he walked, he put his hands into the appropriate sign and muttered "Kai." He then teleported back to the group as the explosion occurred.

"I want you to come with me for three years." Jiraiya told Naruto as they sat at Ichiraku Ramen. "Three years? What for?" Naruto asked. "To train. We have to get you ready for the next Akatsuki attack." Jiraiya told him. Naruto thought for a moment. "Can I take someone with me?" he asked. Jiraiya hadn't expected this at all. "No. I am training you." He said. "Come with me." Naruto said. Jiraiya followed Naruto into an alley back behind a building. What is it Naruto?" he asked.

"Harem no jutsu!" Naruto then turned into the blonde woman we have all come to know. Jiraiya's nose squirted blood. "Please Jiraiya-kun? Please let me take someone with me." Jiraiya's nose wouldn't stop bleeding. "Okay, okay! ONE person!" Naruto transformed back to himself. "Good. I'll go get Sakura-chan."

He hurried off, leaving Jiraiya to pay for the ramen. On the way to Sakura's house Naruto bumped into none other than Hyuuga Hinata. "Oh, hey Hinata-chan!" Naruto said. "H-hi Naruto-kun." Hinata whispered. "Can't talk right now Hinata, I have to go get Sakura-chan so we can leave." Naruto said, starting to run off. Hinata was suddenly bold. It was now or never. "Naruto-kun!" she said as loud as she could. Naruto stopped in his tracks. "Yeah?"

"I know you're going to be gone for a long time, and before you leave I…I j-just want to say that I….I-I l-…" she couldn't do it. "I have to go!" she said, and ran off, tears streaming down her face.

Naruto looked after her. "What was that all about?" he said aloud. "Oh well. Sakura-chaaaaaan!" he yelled, running towards Sakura's house. A few minutes later the situation had been explained to both Sakura and her parents, and, after some arguing and a visit to the Hokage, Naruto, Sakura, and Jiraiya were heading through the gates of Konoha to train for the next three years, with the gennin and the other nins of the village seeing them off.

"So, what are we going to do next Ero-sennin?" Naruto asked excitedly. "Your attacks primarily focus around the Kage Bunshin. This makes you one dimensional." "What about me?" Sakura asked, looking at him.

"You, Sakura, are not very strong in either Taijutsu or Ninjutsu." "Don't worry though," Jiraiya said, seeing Sakura's face. "We will work on both of your Taijutsu. I plan to make you both as good in Taijutsu as Rock Lee is at the moment." "Awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.

"I'm not finished." Jiraiya said. "I have reviewed both of your families past records. You both are strong in two elements of Ninjjutsu. I will focus on these two for each of you." He finished.

"What are our elements, Jiraiya-sama?" Sakura asked. "Sakura, your Ninjutsu training will focus on Katon and Doton." He said. "Naruto, your Ninjutsu training will focus on Suiton and Raiton."

"Yosh!" Naruto yelled. "What are we going to start with?" "We will spend four days of the week on Taijutsu, and three on Ninjutsu. What we start with…" he looked at them. "is up to you."

"Hmmmm…" Naruto thought aloud. "I'll let Sakura-chan pick." He said. "I think we should work on Ninjutsu first, but I have an idea Jiraiya-sama." She said.

"Enlighten me, please." Jiraiya said with a smile. This girl had some brains. "I think we should alternate each day: Nin on the first, third, and fifth days of the week, and Nin on the second, fourth, sixth, and seventh days. That way we won't lose as much in one part while training in the other as we would if put the days all together."

"That's actually a pretty good idea, Sakura." He said. Then Jiraiya stopped in his tracks. "We will start here." They were standing in the middle of the woods. "Who's first?" Jiraiya asked.

Tsunade was sitting at her desk, doing paperwork for once. All of a sudden Hinata burst into the room and ran up and hugged her, bawling her eyes out. Tsunade was surprised, this was uncharacteristic of Hinata.

"Hinata, what's wrong?" she asked. "I couldn't do it!" she cried. "I couldn't tell him and now he's GONE!" "Hinata, CALM DOWN!" Tsunade yelled. Hinata quickly stopped crying and dried her tears.

"Now, what happened?" she asked. "I was too scared. What if he had rejected me?" "I understand. Come here." Tsunade said, giving Hinata a quick hug. Hinata suddenly asked a question that Tsunade hadn't expected.

"Tsunade-sama, will you train me?" Tsunade was shocked. "What?" "Will you train me to become a med-nin? To become as strong as you?" Hinata asked again. "Hinata, I don't think you have enough chakra control to become as good a med-nin as me." Tsunade said.

"I can show you!" Hinata said. "Let me show you what my chakra control practice has done, and if you still don't believe it's good enough, I will leave."

Tsunade was intrigued. "Deal." She said. "Follow me." Hinata followed Tsunade to her personal training ground. "Okay. Are you ready?" she asked. Hinata nodded. "Here we go."

Tsunade cut a wire, and no less than 200 shuriken were launched toward Hinata. Hinata made a quick seal. "Tsuin Tenrai Uchimono!" she whispered.

Ten beams of chakra shot out of her fingertips. They were a good 12 feet in length. Hinata began swinging these beams all around her. Twenty seconds later, every single shuriken had been cut in half. None had gotten anywhere close to Hinata.

To say that Tsunade was stunned would be an understatement. "Did I do good?" Hinata asked nervously. "Hinata…that was amazing!" Tsunade said. "I will gladly take you on as my apprentice." Hinata smiled with pride.

"I'll go first, Jiraiya-sensei." Sakura said, stepping forward. Jiraiya nodded. "Okay Sakura, the first jutsu you will learn is Goukakyuu no jutsu." He said. Sakura gasped. "Sasuke's technique?" she asked. Jiraiya nodded. He showed her the hand seals. "Focus a large amount of chakra in your chest, and push it up and out through your mouth. "Okay." She said. She made the hand signs.

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!"

That's it for this chapter! It's a new record word count! I went crazy with this chap lol. I want to say: I got the name of Hinata's new jutsu from Songbird21's fic "The Colors of Life and Death" book 2. I strongly suggest you guys read books 1 and 2, they are awesome!

Also, I realized while re-reading chapter two, that I completely forgot to put Shino in the fight. I forgot about him. Lol. Sorry for the mistake if anyone noticed it.

Till next time.

-mhud07 Word count 1,872 words


	4. Variants Galore

Where Would I Be Without You? —mhud07

Chapter 4: Variants Galore

Hello, again my loyal…hmm is it 7 readers now? Yes…6 or 7. Lol. But I'm glad to have you! Your reviews have inspired me to start on this chapter at what is now 12 midnight. XD. This is what, my 4th chapter in 5 days? I know I know. "You said it would be a week, Matt!" Yes, I did commit to waiting a week till I released this chapter, but, I don't know, I type it, and I can't keep it in my computer without posting it if it's finished. I'm too anxious to hear you guys' reviews! So without further ado, I will stop rambling. On with the (disclaimer) chapter!!

Disclaimer: I do not own the Naruto anime or any characters associated to said anime. I do own this story though. P

"Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Sakura said. From her mouth came a small fireball, about the size of a beach ball. Jiraiya examined the fireball until it dissipated. "Good work, Sakura. That was an excellent first try for someone not of the Uchiha clan." Jiraiya said with a smile. "Keep practicing, put more chakra into your chest, and try to put more force onto it as you push it out." "Hai" she said as she made the signs again.

Jiraiya turned to Naruto. "Come over here with me, Naruto, let's give her fireball room to grow while I show you your technique." Naruto nodded and followed Jiraiya a little deeper into the forest. "Seeing as we are not to the lake yet, we will start with Raiton." He said. "Would you like a demonstration first?" "Sure." Naruto replied.

Jiraiya nodded and made the appropriate hand signs. "Raiton: Shuurai!" (A/N: Lightning element: Lightning Strike.) Naruto felt a fluctuation in Jiraiya's chakra, it was being focused towards his hand.

Jiraiya simple pointed his index finger and with a flick of his wrist a pure bolt of lightning shot from his fingertip and hit the dirt of the forest floor with a loud '_pop!_'. Naruto's jaw dropped to the ground. "That was AWESOME!" He exclaimed. "I thought you would like that." Jiraiya said.

"Now, what you do, is concentrate your chakra into the hand you are about to use. Surprisingly, it doesn't require hardly any chakra to produce one very deadly shuurai." Jiraiya showed him the hand signs. "Oh, and Naruto." He said. "Aim for the dirt, we don't need to burn down the forest, alright?"

"Right." Naruto said. "Raiton: Shuurai!" he yelled. He pointed his finger, flicked his wrist, and out flew a lightning bolt, hitting the same spot as Jiraiya's. "Yosh! I did it!" he yelled. "Good job, Naruto! First try!" Jiraiya said. Naruto stopped. "Yeah. Only because it doesn't use a lot of chakra like Sakura's technique." He said, looking at the ground.

"Don't worry, we're not finished with this jutsu quite yet." Jiraiya replied. "There is a variant of it." "Really?" Naruto had that excited look in his eyes again. "Yep. But before you learn that, there's one more thing I have to teach you on this one." "Okay, okay." Naruto said.

"Kakashi taught you half-seals correct?" "Yeah, he did." Naruto said. "Well, if you do it in half-signs, you don't have to point your finger, all you do is flick your wrist." "Cool!" Naruto was getting more excited by the second. "But do I have to show you that I can do it?" he asked. "It's getting late, and I wanna learn this 'other variant' today."

"Okay. The other variant then." Jiraiya said, sighing. "_It __is__ getting late._" He thought. "The other variant has been adapted to where it now requires no signs at all." He explained. "This time, concentrate a decent mass of chakra into both of your hands. Like this. And then…"

"Raiton: Shuurai Rendan!" (A/N: Lightning Element: Lightning Strike Barrage) Jiraiya then started flicking his wrists one after the other, slowly at first, and then faster. With each flick came a lightning bolt. Once again, Naruto's jaw had dropped. "Cool!" he yelled.

"Listen Naruto, this technique requires a lot more concentration. If you don't concentrate, the next lightning bolt will recoil, as well as cancel the rest of the attack." Naruto gulped. "Would that kill me?" he asked fearfully. Jiraiya laughed. "No. It will give you a rather painful shock, though."

"Give it a try, brat. And remember, concentrate." Naruto nodded, then massed chakra in his hands. "_Concentrate_" he thought. "Raiton: Shuurai Rendan!" Naruto started off good, flicking his wrists slowly, but as he started to speed up, he lost track of himself, and the bolt recoiled.

"KUSO!! OUCH!" Naruto screamed, tears streaming from his eyes, clearly in pain. "I told you." Jiraiya said. "Let's call it a night and go check to see how Sakura's doing. Then we'll set up camp." "O…okay." Naruto said, rubbing his hand. When they got back to where Sakura was, they found her sitting on the ground, panting, with multiple scorch marks around her mouth.

"Care to show me how much you've improved?" Jiraiya said. "Hai, I think I've got one more in me." Sakura said. She stood up, and made the hand seals. "Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!" Now, it was Jiraiya's turn to let his mouth drop to the ground, for the fireball that erupted from Sakura's mouth was equal to the size of his own.

"_It was her natural chakra control. That's how she was able to learn it faster than even Sasuke did._" Jiraiya clapped his hands. "Excellent. You have learned Goukakyuu." "Alright, Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled. "Now let's set up camp, eat, and go to bed!" Sakura said with a yawn. "Yeah." Jiraiya and Naruto agreed.

Naruto sat up, sleepy eyed. "Gotta pee." He said, yawning. He got out of his sleeping bag, and walked into the woods. As he was relieving himself all over a rather unlucky tree, he thought about the shuurai jutsu he had learned earlier that day, and its variant. Then, for some reason, he thought of Kyuubi. Then he got an idea. "Another variant…" he muttered, eyes wide.

He was now in the part of the forest he had practiced in earlier. He looked up, and saw that the night sky was cloudy. "Perfect." He whispered. He sat down, and reached into his mind.

He was in front of the all too familiar cage. "OI! BAKA-KITSUNE! A pair of huge, evil red eyes flew open and glared down at him. **"I was trying to sleep brat." **Kyuubi said with a growl. **"What is it?"** "Give me some of your chakra." Naruto said. "I want to experiment."

"**Sounds interesting." **Kyuubi said. **"Fine. Here. This better be good."** Naruto was now once again back in the outside world, but now his eyes were red. He stood up. He gathered a large mass of demonic chakra into his hands. "Akuma Raiton: Akuma Kyuukyoku Sutoraiku!" (A/N: Demon's Lightning Element: Demon's Final Strike.)

As Naruto said this, he brought his clawed hands straight down to the ground until he was on all fours. From one of the clouds above, there came an enormous purple and black lightning bolt, coursing with demonic energy. It hit the ground with so much force it shook the whole forest.

Sakura and Jiraiya were jerked out of their sleep by a strong wind carrying them and all their belongings across the forest floor. Sakura stopped when she hit a tree, and Jiraiya was alert enough to drag his hands across the ground, stopping his motion.

When the wind finally subsided, Sakura and Jiraiya looked around. "What was that?" Sakura asked. Jiraiya ignored her and got out of his sleeping bag, still looking. Then he noticed the empty sleeping bag to his right. "Naruto!" Jiraiya said, and took off in the direction of the smoke above the trees. "Hey! Wait up!" Sakura yelled, darting after him.

What they saw when they got there was unbelievable. Naruto was still on all fours, but the Kyuubi's chakra had receded. There was a crater where the lightning had hit, at least a mile around and across. It stopped right in front of Naruto. "W-wow…" Naruto said standing up.

"Naruto, what happened?" Jiraiya asked. Naruto turned around and smiled at him. "Kyuubi and I made a new variant, Ero-sennin."

That's the end of this chapter. I know it's not as long as the last one, but it's 2:30 AM and I think I did good on this one. P. Also, if you're wondering where I got all the Raiton jutsu from, the list I have only has one Raiton jutsu in it and it's Kakuzu's. So I made all of those Raiton jutsu up. Even the demon one. I thought that was so cool. For the jutsu names I used an English to Japanese dictionary, so all those names either literally do translate to their English counterparts or are close to it. Tell me what you think! Reviews make me happy! Oh, yea, I meant to put Hinata's training in here with Naruto and Sakura's, but I got a bit carried away hehehe. So, I have decided that chapter 5 will be all about what was going on with Hinata during the events of chapter 4.

Till next time. –mhud07

Word Count: 1,551 words


	5. Believe in Yourself!

Where Would I Be Without You? –mhud07

Chapter 5: Believe in Yourself!

I'm back again! Hooray? Lol. Anyway, I posted chapter four, and now thirteen hours later I am sitting here for chapter five. A lot of my friends have read up to this point and they've asked me how I can manage to pump out what is literally a chapter a day. I thought I would put it here just in case anyone was wondering. My story ideas, you know, I don't sit down and plan out this story way far ahead, as I probably should. Everything I type here comes to me as I type. I put these in spur of the moment, everything the characters say and do. So I often debate with myself about whether or not to introduce certain characters at certain points. So yeah. On with the story.

"Are you ready?" Tsunade asked. Hinata nodded. "Hai. You said we were going to work on my speed first, right Hokage-sama?" she asked. "That's right. A med-nin has to be able to dodge every attack, if you get hurt, there's nobody to heal your comrades." Tsunade said. Hinata thought for a moment. "So how are we going to improve my speed?"

Tsunade smiled. "The only way I know how!" she yelled, rushing Hinata. Hinata gasped, but quickly regained her composure. Tsunade came with a fist to Hinata's right. "_Concentrate._" Hinata thought, and she couldn't help feeling that someone else was thinking the same thing.

She put her hand up and parried the blow on instinct, surprised not to find her hand crushed. "_She's holding back. There's no chakra in her throws._" Tsunade then brought her other hand towards Hinata's midsection. Hinata reacted by bringing her knee up and letting the punch hit her dead on the kneecap. She winced. "_She's still terribly strong though._" 

Hinata decided to fight back. She pushed off with her other foot, and spun into a backflip. Tsunade recognized this and jumped backwards. Before she landed however, she found Hinata running at her, faster than she'd ever seen her and with determination in her eyes. Tsunade met her strong and they traded blows, none able to connect with their target.

Hinata came in for another strike. Her punch was parried, and before she knew it, Tsunade spun right and was behind her and a kunai was at her throat. "That's it for today." She said. "It's almost time for your Jyuuken practice." "Hai." Hinata said, turning away to head home. "Hinata!" Tsunade said. Hinata turned around. 

"You did great, your speed has definitely improved since we started." Tsunade said. "I'm surprised, you didn't even use your Byakugan." Hinata was confused, and then she realized, she _hadn't_ activated it! "Arigato, Hokage-sama. I must be going now." She said with a smile. 

"Okay, Hinata." Hyuuga Hiashi said. "I don't know why I agreed to help a weakling like you master the Jyuuken, I know you can't do it." Hinata frowned. "My speed and skill have increased since last we practiced, Hiashi-sama." Now it was Hiashi's turn to frown. "I am your father! Show some respect!" 

"You will not be my father until you acknowledge my skill as a Hyuuga!" she yelled, activating her Byakugan and charging him. "_Her stutter is gone._" He thought. "I see the Hokage has increased your confidence." He said to her, activating his Byakugan and parrying her first strike.

Hinata grew angrier, and her speed increased. She suddenly appeared behind him. "Tsunade-sama had nothing to do with it!" she whispered. And drove her index and middle fingers on both hands into two of Hiashi's tenketsu. Hiashi showed no sign of response, but Hinata did feel his back tense a little. Suddenly, Hiashi flipped over her head and came down and poked his finger into her pressure point on her neck, making her go weak and fall to the ground. 

He had not dared put chakra into that strike, for he didn't want to kill his newfound daughter. He was so proud of her. Hiashi picked her up and carried her to a nearby bench. Hinata's eyes were wide with shock. "_What is he doing?_" she thought. She finally got feeling back in her body as he laid her down. She sat up and looked at him questioningly. 

Hiashi smiled at her. "Very good. You have definitely improved since last we sparred. It's almost perfect, really." Hiashi saw her look and smiled again. "I know this seems weird. I'm sorry for treating you the way I have all this time. It's what the clan does, the elders believe that harsh treatment to anyone who is not instantly great in Jyuuken can be motivated to master it to prove themselves to their clan."

Hiashi sighed. "I can say it's the only thing they were ever right about." He said. Then, tears welled up in his eyes. "Though your mother never approved of it. She said it was too cruel." He looked at her as he said this. Tears were in Hinata's eyes. She suddenly hugged him, and he embraced her as well. They sat and cried together, each holding the other, in an unspoken apology and acceptance.

About fifteen minutes later, they finally released each other. Hiashi stood up and wiped the remaining tears from his face. "Now, about your Jyuuken, as I said it's very good indeed." Hinata beamed. "The only problems are your speed, it's just a _bit_ slow. That will work itself out as your training with Hokage-sama continues. Other than that, your moves aren't as fluid as they should be. I would be happy to help you." 

Hinata couldn't stop beaming. This was the happiest she had been in a long time. She stood up and bowed to him. Hiashi smiled for the third time that day. A new record. "Go get ready for dinner, my girl." He told her. She nodded and half-walked, half-skipped down the hall to her bedroom. "I'm glad you finally know that I love you, Hyuuga Hinata." He whispered. 

That night, after they had finished dinner and Hanabi had gone to bed, Hiashi and his daughter were walking in the courtyard of the Hyuuga compound. "I'm curious." Hiashi said, looking at Hinata. "What is the reason, if not for your training with the Hokage, for your grow in confidence?" Hinata winced. She had been afraid he would ask this question.

She looked up at him. "Have you ever had someone that you loved so much, with all of your heart and soul, that you would do anything to get them to notice you?" she asked him. Hiashi's heart swelled. He thought of his wife. "Hai, I can say I have." Hinata smiled at him, knowing what he meant. "Well, I can say that there is such a person in my life, he is the reason I train so hard, and I love him so very much."

Hiashi sat down, and Hinata sat with him. "So it's a boy then?" he asked, giving her a playful interested look. Hinata laughed. "Hai." "Mind telling me who?" Hiashi asked after a moment. Hinata closed her eyes. "Uzumaki Naruto." she whispered. Hiashi's eyebrows went up for a moment. "I see." He said.

Hinata jumped up. "Please don't get mad. He's not a demon he truly isn't! He is only its jailor. He's the nicest boy you could ever meet! He's going to become Hokage someday you know." She said hurriedly, hoping he wouldn't go into an angry rage. Hiashi put his hand up. "Calm down, child. What is the matter with you?" he asked gently.

Hinata calmed down, and blinked. "You're not…you're not mad?" she asked hopefully. Hiashi let out a laugh. "No, no, of course not. He is a fine boy. Sure, he doesn't show any respect for anyone around here…" he said with a small frown. "…But he's never had anyone there to teach him! And he's a teenage boy!" he said. After an awkward silence, Hiashi turned to her. "Does he know how you feel?" Hinata shook her head. "I tried to tell him last year, before he left with Jiraiya-sama and Haruno Sakura. I couldn't do it though. What if I had been rejected?" she said, tears starting to stream down her face.

Hiashi lifted her chin up to his face with his finger. "If he would reject a woman as beautiful as you are, Hinata, then he is the biggest idiot in the world." He whispered. "You should tell him when he gets back. Otherwise you'll be wondering 'what if?' all your life." He smiled at her.

Hinata smiled. "Hai." She then yawned. "I'm going to go to bed." She said. "Okay." Hiashi said. "It is getting late." Hinata looked at him, making the sweetest face she could muster. "Would you tuck me in?" she asked. She knew it sounded childish, but nobody had ever done that since her mother died, and she wanted someone to do just that. 

Hiashi chuckled. "Of course." Hinata smiled and they went up to her room. She laid down in her bed, and Hiashi pulled the covers over her and kissed his daughter's forehead. "Good night, Hinata." He whispered. "Good night, Otou-san." She said, as Hiashi closed the door behind him. 

As Hiashi walked down the stairs and into the kitchen to finish cleaning up what was left of dinner, he heard a tap on the kitchen window. He looked over and saw a bird flapping its wings and tapping on the glass with its claw. "_That's a hawk from the Hokage._" He thought. He walked over and opened the window. The hawk swooped into the kitchen and perched itself on the table.

Hiashi fed it a piece of leftover meat and the hawk held out its leg. On the hawk's leg Hiashi saw a scroll that had been reduced in size by a jutsu so that the hawk could carry it. He took the scroll and the hawk flew out the open window. "Kai." He said. The scroll returned to its normal size, and on the front he read "Hyuuga Hinata." He dared not invade his daughter's privacy. He smiled as he also read "From Uzumaki Naruto."

He went to his bedroom and put it away. He would give it to her in the morning.

That's it for chapter 5! Sorry it took so long. I started typing it and then I stopped because I got sick. I'm still sick but I thought I would finish and post it.

Word count: 1,758 words. 


	6. Letters and Realizations

Where Would I Be Without You? –mhud07

Chapter 6: Letters and Realizations

Not much to say this time. Here I come with chapter 6! Read and Review!

Naruto: Sorry guys, he's a little hyper.

Me: Shut up and get back to your forest, baka!

Hinata awoke from her sleep, but did not want to open her eyes. "Please don't let that have been a dream." She whispered. She sat up to a knock at her door. "Hai?" she said. The door opened and her cousin Neji looked in. "Hinata-sama, Hiashi-sama says breakfast is ready." Hinata nodded. "I'll be down in a minute." She replied. Neji turned to leave.

"And Neji-nii-san, I thought I asked you to stop using –sama with my name. It doesn't fit with me. Okay?" she said with a smile. Neji nodded and shut the door. Hinata got out of bed, tamed her bed head, and changed into her usual clothes. She then opened her bedroom door and headed downstairs towards the kitchen.

Hiashi smiled at her when she appeared. "Good morning, Hinata." He said. Hinata smiled back at him. "Morning, Otou-san." Nothing could describe how happy she was as they sat down for their first normal family meal in a long time.

After breakfast, Hinata stood up and told her dad she was heading for training with Tsunade. "Okay. Oh! Wait here a second." He said as he ran upstairs. When he came back down he handed Hinata the scroll and whispered to her. "This came for you last night. Look who it's from!" He chuckled at the look she gave him after seeing Naruto's name.

She walked out of her front gate in a daze. "_I actually got a letter from Naruto-kun._" She thought. That thought repeated inside her head until she couldn't take it anymore. "I have to read it now!" she said with a cry of frustration and impatience. She sat down on a nearby bench. As she opened the scroll, she was surprised to find another scroll inside of this one. It had a seal on it that she recognized immediately.

It was the secret seal between all the kunoichi of Konoha. She knew that one had to be from Sakura, so she opened the seal-free scroll first.

_Dear Hinata-chan,_

_You wouldn't believe how much stronger we've gotten in the past year! Ero-sennin has been teaching me and Sakura-chan elemental jutsu! I got Suiton and Raiton and Sakura-chan got Doton and Katon. We already know at least 10 jutsu for each of our elements! We're kicking ass around here! _

_We've been training in Taijutsu too! We're already as fast as Lee is with his weights on. And we still have two more years! Ero-sennin says it'll take us the rest of the time to get to the level Lee is without his weights. I don't think it'll take that long though. Then we can focus on Ninjutsu!_

_I can't send a letter to Tsunade-baa-chan, because Ero-sennin says that Akatsuki is watching to see if anything comes from us addressed to her. I don't know why he didn't tell me that before I wanted to write a letter. Sakura-chan suggested I write to you because she thinks that if I let something secret slip then you wouldn't tell anyone. _

_Well, I guess I should get back to my training now. I miss all of you guys! _

_Uzumaki Naruto_

Hinata looked down at the letter and sighed. "He didn't write to me for a reason, he just did it so nobody would find anything out about his training." She set down the letter and picked up the one from Sakura. She looked at the seal. "To open it you have to trace it a certain way." She said, remembering. She took her finger and traced the left side, then the right and finally the center. It disappeared and she opened the scroll.

_Dear Blue Moon, _(she smiled at her "codename", all the kunoichi had one.)

_What's up, girl? I figured if Naruto was sending you a letter, I would too. Training is going good, although Jiraiya-sensei has earned Naruto's nickname for him! I won't be like Naruto though and do nothing but talk about training. Oh, and by the way, don't be discouraged with the whole Akatsuki thing Naruto was talking about. Tsunade-sama asked us to make sure he didn't annoy her with letters._

_We told him that so she wouldn't get one. And of course when he asked who to send it to I obviously brought your name up. Surprisingly, he seemed happy that he could send it to you. Interesting, neh? I think he likes you a lot. Know how I know? He talks in his sleep! And he couldn't keep your name out of his mouth. Think that'll get your confidence up a bit Hinata?_

_So what has Tsunade-sama been teaching you? She show you the secret behind her super strength yet? I have to admit, you with super strength is a rather scary thought. Especially with the quickness and finesse you have as a Hyuuga. Though I never would've imagined a user of Jyuuken would someday be able to smash through walls with one punch. _

_I have to go now, Naruto and Jiraiya-sensei are arguing again, and I have to stop it before it gets out of hand._

_Ja!_

_Pink Purity_

Hinata laughed when she read about Naruto. She was also relieved. "_Does he really like me? Is it true?_" she thought. Suddenly she shot to her feet and quickly rolled up the scrolls. "I'm late!" she yelled, running towards the Hokage tower, and Tsunade's personal training ground. 

When she arrived at the grounds, she found Tsunade waiting for her. She quickly bowed. "Gomen, Tsunade-sama, I got held up with something." She said. "That would be what, exactly?" Tsunade said, obviously angered at Hinata's being twenty minutes late. Hinata held out the scroll. "I got a letter from Naruto-kun. I couldn't wait to read it, so I stopped about halfway here."

Tsunade's expression visibly softened at the mention of her theoretical brother's name. "Oh really? Understood. Let's start training, we're behind schedule!"

End of chapter 6! I know it's shorter than usual, but I'll make up for it in chapter 7. It'll be the longest yet. I promise. 

Word Count: 1,052 words. 


	7. They're Back!

Where Would I Be Without You

Where Would I Be Without You? –mhud07

Chapter 7: They're Back!

Hello my fellow readers and writers! I promised a record word count this chapter, and I meant it. My goal is 2500 words. I doubt I'll get that far, but I definitely won't end the chapter till I break 2000.

Also. The time skip happens in this chapter, as I could tell that some of my readers couldn't wait for this. I really couldn't wait for this either. Really excited to see what you guys think.

One more thing and I'm done. Remember the other group that would be chasing after Naruto and everyone that I mentioned in the summary? This is where they are introduced. They are completely made of OC's so I can do a lot with them I believe. I'm done. To the chapter!

They were tree-jumping for seven days now. The two fifteen year olds' feet were sore and their faces clearly showed the pain from the blisters on their feet and the fatigue from the travel.

"Neh, Ero-sennin, can we take a break? I mean, we are only about five minutes from the gates. Let's stop at the lake for a few minutes." Naruto said.

Sakura's face brightened. "Yeah, Jiraiya-sensei, can we stop at the lake please? It would give us a chance to relax for once." She jumped in front of her teacher for the past three years and gave the famed sannin the puppy dog look that she knew he could never say no to.

Jiraiya looked down at the ground and sighed. "Fine, we'll take a good twenty minutes. I'm tired too." He said with a weary smile. The trio darted into the trees to their right and came to the edge of a lake. Sakura and Naruto wasted no time as Sakura hastily shook off her shoes, and Naruto completely stripped of all but his boxers and dove into the lake without any shame.

Sakura blushed, she knew there was nothing between them, and really she still felt the same as she always had for Naruto, he was no more than a friend, but he had gotten so muscled-up ever since they had left three years ago, and she couldn't help but to blush.

Suddenly Sakura noticed a figure sitting on the other side of the lake. She had barely noticed it out of the corner of her eye. If she concentrated and squinted a bit, Sakura could tell it was a young woman of about fifteen. Her face lifted, it had to be someone from Konoha.

She stood up and turned to her sensei, only to find him fast asleep against a tree. Sighing, she turned to her teammate, who was just now arising from underneath the water.

"Naruto, I'll be right back!" she shouted, running off across the lake towards the figure in excitement. Naruto looked after her in confusion and then shrugged and dove back into the water..

As Hinata sat there with her eyes closed enjoying the cool water around her ankles, she heard a noise, and she soon realized someone was running at her from the lake. Her eyes quickly snapped open and she looked up to see a rather different looking Sakura running at her and was beaming like an idiot too.

"Hinata!" she squealed. Hinata laughed and stood up. This soon proved worthless as she was bowled over in a tremendous hug.

"Saa, Hinata!" Sakura said cheerfully. "We have so much catching up to do! I mean, you and I had just finally started hanging out together before I left!" she stopped and released Hinata, then stood. "Oh, do you like the new look?" she said, giving a little spin. Hinata looked her over once and twice.

Hinata smiled. "It looks great! It really looks good on you!" Sakura beamed once again.

"Thanks! I really feel silly in these pants sometimes, but, they allow me to move freely in battle and they're really comfortable." She said.

Sakura was wearing an outfit that was completely different from the one she had left in. She had also let her hair grow out a little bit, not as long as before she cut it, but still a little longer than when it was short. Her clothes were mainly black. Sakura was wearing a black T-shirt that was a little below her waistline, and had pink cherry blossoms across the chest.

She was wearing black pants, with pink stripes going down the sides. They came down to about her ankle. At the hem, the stripes branched out and formed a dragon that circled around each leg hole.

"We both got new outfits." Sakura said. "Jiraiya-sensei wouldn't get one though, he said he liked his clothes the way they were." She finally stopped talking long enough to get a good look at Hinata. The first thing she noticed was her hair. Since they had left, Hinata had grown her hair long. It now reached the middle of her back.

"I see you got one too!" she said. Hinata was wearing a coat that was the exact same as the one she wore three years ago, except for two things. One, the color of the coat had changed from a tan to a lavender shade. Second, it was a little longer, and went down low enough to cover most of her thighs. She wore underneath the coat a white fishnet covering similar to the black one from three years before. Her pants were also lavender.

Hinata had not heard this last statement of Sakura's however. After she had heard Sakura say 'We both got new outfits.' she had frozen and hadn't been able to comprehend anything. Suddenly she was jerked back into reality by a hard slap on the back. "Naruto-kun is here? Take me to him. You must!" she exclaimed with a gasp.

Sakura snickered. "Well, I see you've been doing some confidence training." She said. "Follow me." She then started running back across the river. Hinata quickly followed suit. To her surprise, Sakura watched Hinata bolt ahead of her faster than she could've ever imagined Hinata going. Sakura, of course, had been holding back a lot on her speed so Hinata could keep up.

Now it seemed she didn't need to.

She sped up and finally caught up to Hinata, but she realized with pleasant surprise that Hinata was pushing her to about seventy-five percent of her speed capability. Sakura turned to her and smiled. "I see you've worked on your speed as well!" she yelled. Hinata looked back at her and beamed. "That's not the half of it!" she yelled. She then stopped and actually slid across the water. Sakura stopped as well and watched as Hinata pulled off her jacket and slung it back the way they came. It landed with an earthquake like thud on the ground.

Sakura looked at Hinata in stunned amazement. Hinata looked back at her and shrugged. "What? It's not that heavy, just around five hundred pounds or so." She said. Sakura's jaw dropped, then she managed to recover herself and giggled nervously.

"Ehehe, that's great Hinata! I can only lift about four hundred twenty-five, and Naruto can lift six hundred now." Then there came a rather impish smile on Sakura's face, she was gonna love this. She stepped up to Hinata's ear. "Oh, and you should see him, he's all buffed up and tan, his skin looks soooo smooth." She said.

Sakura watched with amusement and Hinata gasped and turned beet red. "It can all be yours, Hinata. Are you bold enough? Are you finally gonna confess? I guarantee he won't disappoint you." She finished, stepping back. Hinata swallowed hard and managed to get control of herself again.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, rather apprehensively.

Sakura laughed. "Oh, nothing like _that. _There's nothing wrong with a little eye candy though, is there?" She finished.

Hinata turned around. "Guess not, now come on and stop teasing me, P.P." she said with a smile.

Sakura's expression soon turned from playfulness to annoyed anger. "I thought I told you girls to STOP CALLING ME THAT!" she yelled. Hinata laughed and took off running, Sakura chasing behind her. The next thing she knew, Hinata was at the other edge of the lake, and what she saw stopped her dead in her tracks.

Naruto had just gotten out of the water, and he was drying off, still in his boxers. Jiraiya was standing next to his tree. When Naruto heard someone behind him, he turned around. "It's about time Sakura-chan, we've been waiting on you forev…". What he saw before him completely stopped his speech, and his breathing at that.

In that split-second when they saw each other, they both thought at once.

"_Oh my…Sakura wasn't lying about how Naruto-kun looks._"

"_Wow, she's so beautiful, it can't be…_"

"Hinata-chan?" Naruto asked slowly, blushing and turning around, rushing for his clothes as he realized he was in his boxers.

Hinata swallowed. "Hai, Naruto-kun. It's m-me." She said. She inwardly kicked herself for stuttering. You look great!" she said with a smile.

Naruto, now fully clothed, didn't answer. He stood there staring, mouth agape, at the kunoichi before him. How he felt inside was truly amazing. There was nothing more beautiful he'd ever seen in his life.

Hinata, nervous as she was, mistook this awkward silence for dislike, and her confidence was momentarily shattered. Her fragile spirit broke into thousands of tiny glass shards. She found, however, that her hypothetical inner 'rewind' button had been pressed, as those same shards flew back into place. Her confidence was renewed. Naruto was smiling.

He ran up to her and hugged her, causing her eyes to go wide for a second. "Saa, Hinata-chan, look at you! You're a little taller than Sakura-chan!" he exclaimed happily.

Sakura was puzzled at this. "She is?" she asked. She had never paid any attention at all to their heights when they first met. At least, not in comparison. She walked up to Hinata and measured her height with her own using her hand. She was proven to be only up to Hinata's chin.

Hinata giggled. "Guess so, Naruto-kun." She said.

"Oi! Sorry to interrupt this rather…touching…reunion, but we need to get going. I have to report to Tsunade." Jiraiya broke in. He then started back off through the trees.

"Yea, come on you two!" Sakura said. "Let's go see how Tsunade-sama is."

"You wanted to see me, Leader-sama?" the young brunette asked. His back was turned to her. She started to walk towards him.

"Stop." He said simply, not turning around. She gasped at the sheer force of his voice, even though it was barely more than a whisper. He was angry, and she knew it. Tears started to fall from her face.

She had been caught.

"There are rumors going around that you have been feeding information to our enemies." The leader said. "Is this true?" he asked.

"No!" she yelled. "No! I would never do that to you, Leader-sama!"

The leader turned to her. His face was one of complete malice and hatred, the cold icy blue stare piercing her heart. "If it is true what you speak, then explain these." He said, tossing her some photographs. She looked and found they showed her secretly meeting with Uchiha Itachi, on the many occasions she gave him top secret information about her groups plans.

"Please, Leader-sama! Please forgive me!" she wailed. She had lost all control of herself. She fell to her knees, bawling like a small child.

The leader smiled sadistically. "I see. Come!" he said. Soon the rest of the group had surrounded the girl in a circle. The leader looked at them all. "Douhou no Kurayami! Ahime Soushi has been found guilty of treason. Preferred penalty, death. Agreed?" (A/N:Douhou no KurayamiBrothers of Darkness)

"Hai!" all of the others yelled.

The leader chuckled. "Very well. She is the first woman to be allowed into the brotherhood, and may she be the last."

The group cheered. "Douhou! Douhou! Douhou!" they chanted.

The leader was amused. "Hai, Douhou." He brought his hands up into the dragon seal. "Toukai no Ken!" he yelled. (A/N: Destruction Sword) A sword of pure purple chakra formed in his hand. He didn't hesitate.

He swung the sword and watched every piece of flesh connecting her head to her neck rip in half and her head flew across the room, blood squirting everywhere.

"Clean this up." He said simply, walking away.

Well that's it for chapter 7. I want to apologize very deeply for how extremely late this is. There's been a lot going on recently and I haven't had time. Plus writer's block doesn't help either P. I promise that I will do my best to get these chaps back up weekly as usual.

I would also like to thank Miss Uchiha Itachi for beta reading for me. Your help is much appreciated.

Till next time.

Mhud07

Word Count: 2,167 words.


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